Not to share inflatables by the pool

[Sally20099]

We’re on our summer holiday in Europe. During our Easter holiday two children started playing with DD float (a giant mermaid) and it got a puncture during their rough play. This was on day 3 and DD was rightly upset. This holiday I said she didn’t have to let anyone borrow her new inflatable if she didn’t want to but if she made friends or wanted to make friends she should IF they ask. So far three children have just randomly grabbed and started playing with her stuff (twice it was by the pool but once it was by our sunbeds!). We have always been happy to share if people ask if they can play, borrow or join in, but right in front of their parents they are just grabbing our stuff and playing with it. I understand children will do this but I expect the parents to say something like “this isn’t yours, put it back” or “have you asked if you can play with it because it isn’t yours”. I think this behaviour is unbelievably entitled from children and parents so now I keep it by my sunbed the entire time it’s not in use. People just taking stuff that doesn’t belong to them with out asking is a tigger for me so I’m trying to under if my reaction is fair or am I just an uptight killjoy?

Good old shitty kids with shitty parents especially taking it from your sunbed.

Agreed - and what about the time a child took it from our sun lounger while we went to get a drink and the parent was happily playing in the pool with them when we got back?

I tell my kids the same - mainly because if another child had an accident while standing up on the inflatable/doing something stupid, I don't want any backlash from their phone scrolling, absent parents.

There are always going to be parents who don’t pack plan or purchase for thier holiday counting on the largesse of other holidaying families. Keep it with you and if it’s taken immediately go to the child and get it back. An inflatable is no different than a personal towel sunscreen hat or sunglasses. And of course they will break it

Just let her choose to play with others on the bloody thing. It's supposed to be fun. So what if it gets a puncture. These things happen.

Just relax and enjoy your holiday..x

Just go ask for it back if it's taken. A lot of parents are complete CF's and let their kids do whatever they like.

Same! I’ve never once heard a child say “sharing is caring” as they pass a toy over to another child, but I hear it constantly as they stand next to the child with the toy demanding a turn with it. I think kids should be taught to share with friends and family; if it’s people they have a relationship with and want to play with then they should get used to then taking. However, I don’t think kids should be taught to share with strangers. If I was using something and a stranger asked to use it because they wanted a go, I’d obviously say no as an adult.
Edit: the post took ages to send and didn’t post the quote I was replying to, it was the sharing is caring one from page 1.

By the pool agree they probably assumed it was left. On your sun lounger no being cheeky!
We put them under the sunbed or put a towel and clothes ontop of them (also stops them blowing away). That usually stops the CF behaviour.

What a shame that "respecting other people's property" doesn't rhyme with "caring", the world would be a better place and we could all live by rules that fit on mugs.

Yanbu. My daughter always wedges her inflatable under my lounger as she hates random kids taking her stuff. As I would as an adult.

If you leave things lying in or beside the pool then many people would realistically think they’re owned by the hotel or left for others to play. If you want to keep your inflatables for your own use then you need to take care of them as you would your other possessions - keep them with you - tie them to your lounger - put your name on them, etc. I don’t think you’re unreasonable for not wanting to share them but you do need to make ownership clear and look after them.

On this, the last few years holidaying in Spain, inflatables have been banned in pools which have a lifeguard because they block the view , particularly of the bottom of the pool.

You should definitely keep it with you if you don’t want other people to use it. Which is totally fine but if it’s not with you how would anyone know?

Some pool complexes have a supply of inflatables for general use by everyone…….maybe these random children think that’s the case here. OP, you only have to speak out, politely, and say that it belongs to your DC………it’s called communication……..try it once in a while.

Yes, some pools in France ban large inflatables as a kid could drown underneath one.

I must be from the areas where inflatables are banned because I’d be well annoyed if someone was clogging up the place with unnecessary inflatables. Thinking back I think I’ve only seen them in friends’ pools or in the baby pools (ie on their arms or the donut one).

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume it’s communal if left by the pool. Near your belongings it’s just cheeky, immediately ask to put it back.

You don't say if you took the inflatables back?

Model assertiveness to your daughter by saying please ask before borrowing as this is ours.

You seem to want dd to be the one who says no.

100% 😜

How about?

"Leave alone and get your own"

You say ‘oh , that’s what happened to our inflatable, could we have it back please’

And if the CFs say ‘oh just having fun with it / borrowing it’ you say ‘ nothing personal against you but after some puncturing incidents we don’t risk making it available any more’

It’s your job to stand up for your kid, and therefore her stuff. Save being wet for the pool.

I don’t allow other children to play with any of our toys or inflatables while on holiday. If they take them I will go over to them and tell them that is not yours give it back. Loudly so parents can hear.

YANBU - entitled is the word, I work in a primary school - we use it a lot!!

You didn't see the child take it then? It could have easily rolled off with the gentlest breeze.

And if you did somehow see it from the bar then use your big girl voice and say excuse me that's our personal inflatable, we need it back. How is that hard?

thanks for your views everyone. I have certainly gone and got the inflatable back each time. I guess im just surprised that I have to keep doing it.

I can remember being a kid and not realising these things. The adults taking your things from your sun bed area - what were they thinking?! That would infuriate me. It’s either purposely sneaky or frustratingly dumb.